How Peggy Reveals the Brilliance of "The Irishman" Script

Scene from The Irishman (2019)

The greatness of director Martin Scorsese's towering gangster epic The Irishman can be summarized with one performance: Peggy Sheeran. It may not seem like it given that she has considerably less screen time than most characters in Frank Sheeran's (Robert De Niro) life, but the way that writer Steven Zaillian uses her describes something key in the film's overall tragedy. Yes, one can use the crackling dialogue rich with acidic humor and bursts of violence that distract from Frank ever learning a lesson, but that isn't anything new for a Scorsese movie. No, there has to be something there that serves as the piece of Frank that got away, unable to ever be obtained even as he murders for the sake of building a reputation among the local mob. The performances are rich with personality, but one has to wonder what they mean in the long run. Why doesn't Frank's story end when the last of them have said goodbye? It's because their respect was easy to get. His family was a different matter.

"The Irishman" Proves Netflix Isn't Kidding Around This Oscar Season with 26.4 Million Views in the First Week

Scene from The Irishman (2019)

By all accounts, Netflix has been crushing it this awards season. This past week saw the streaming service dominate the Golden Globe nominations with major nominations for Dolemite is My Name, The Two Popes, Marriage Story, and the Martin Scorsese-directed epic The Irishman. All of the films look like their on track to dominate awards season and possibly lead the Oscars. That's not only the critics talking. According to data released by chief Ted Sarandon, The Irishman is a big success because of the availability on Netflix. With a reported 26.4 million households seeing the film in the first week and a potential 48 million projected for the first month, it's a number that looks to prove why Scorsese and Netflix were smart to collaborate on this 3.5-hour film. It may have made the film a bigger hit than a conventional release strategy.

Review: "The Irishman" is the Great Gangster Movie to End All Gangster Movies

Scene from The Irishman (2019)

With The Irishman, director Martin Scorsese has made the gangster movie to end all gangster movies. He has made a career of exploring the criminals who have gotten rich off of shady deals and violent discourse, leaving behind nothing but misery for everyone else. After pushing limits with films like Mean Streets, Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street, he has taken on the elder statesman role in 2019 to discuss how a life of crime may seem rewarding at first but inevitably ends in a sadness that can't be escaped. As much as the 3.5-hour running time feels at times taxing, drawing out small moments that feel interminable, the result is to create an epic about a man learning to realize his own flaws only to realize that they come too late. It's a story about loyalty and aging in the ways that only Scorsese can get away with. While the results are less flashy than his aforementioned masterpieces, this is the final chapter in a cautionary tale that has defined his work from the beginning. With a cast of incredible actors at the top of their game, The Irishman may be overlong, but it's all in an attempt to cheat death. It's horrifying and immersive, leaving the audience with a powerful gut punch that is too bittersweet to forget.

"The Irishman" Trailer Sets Scorsese Up for Oscar Potential

Scene from The Irishman (2019)

There have been few obvious Oscar campaigns quite like director Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. It was so anticipated that a teaser played during the commercials for the actual ceremony. However, this is the first time that audiences will be privy to what lied in one of the most exciting pairings of the year. Not only is it the return of Scorsese with Robert de Niro, but it also features Goodfellas actor Joe Pesci and his first with Al Pacino. It's a dynamite group that could sell the film without a single piece of marketing. Thankfully, the trailer that premiered lived up to the expectations, taking audiences back to the world of Scorsese gangster films for the first time since The Departed in 2006. If nothing else, it looks to be one of the best excuses to subscribe to Netflix yet.

A Look at the 11 Youngest Oscar Nominees Throughout History

Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense

The time is upon us. We are officially in the single digits of the Academy Awards countdown. Leading up to the big day, I will be sharing random goodies that will be meant to highlight various Oscar trends. Yesterday was a ranking of every nominated film with more than 10 wins. In honor of today marking only 9 days to go, I have decided to pay tribute to the little guy. By that, I mean the kids who have populated the Oscar circles with their own impressive performances. The following is a list of the 11 youngest performers, for whom cinema would be  greatly different without.